PM Douglas Tells South-South: ‘We Have Become A Very Focused And Determined People in Order to Impact Our Lives In Positive Ways’

Sep 25, 2013

United Nations, New York, September 25th 2013 (CUOPM) — “The country that I am honored to lead is a rather fascinating place. We are one of the tiniest nations on earth. Indeed, with a population of only 50,000, we have become a very focused and determined people in order to impact our lives in positive ways, despite the challenges that we face,” so said St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas after accepting the award from the President of the International Organisation for South-South Cooperation and South-South News, His Excellency Ambassador Francis Lorenzo.

He said two areas in which “we believe that we have done exceptionally well and which seem to have come to the attention of the global community for international recognition are in the areas of renewable energy and information communications technology.”

“Though small, thou developing, though poor, we believe that the digital divide should not be an inhibiting factor to prevent our people from enjoying the quality of life of the highest level. We believe that although we have become totally dependent over the years on fossil-based energy, there is the focused determination of our country to become the very first entirely green country in the world,” said Dr. Douglas.

Prime Minister Douglas told a large group of ambassadors and diplomats including the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and the First Lady of the Dominican Republic, who also received awards, that St. Kitts and Nevis is pursuing a number of initiatives to ensure that every single household, every single family in St. Kitts and Nevis has complete and total access to computer literacy.

“That is why my Government’s initiative of providing every single high school student with his or her personal laptop computer a few years ago was to ensure that every family was computer literate,” said Dr. Douglas.

“Thou small, though with limited resources, except our people, we believe that we should be able to compete positively and successfully with the rest of the World because of the improved and qualified human capacity that we are building,” said the Prime Minister.

He also informed geothermal energy on the island of Nevis is under development and will be able not only to supply the domestic market, but also to export to the neighboring islands as well.

“Solar energy is a new area of concentration. We are the first country in the Caribbean to establish a solar farm that not only powers the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport, but also supplies that national grid wt the excess energy that is produced,” said Prime Minister Douglas.